It’s Time for Budapest: 2018 World Cup Anthem Shot in Hungary’s Capital!

Fanni Kaszás 2018.06.12.

The 2018 Football World Cup is kicking off this Thursday in Russia, and the official video of one of the anthems of the tournament, ‘Live it Up!’ has recently been released: interestingly, Hungarian fans can spot some familiar places and faces in it.

The song, performed by Will Smith and Nicky Jam, together with Albanian singer Era Istrefi, was released earlier this month, and the music video was recorded at the end of May in Budapest after just three days of preparation by a new, Hungarian production company, Admiral Film. The clip was directed by Yasha Malekzad who has also worked with Ludacris, Usher and Lil Wayne.

Besides legendary footballer Ronaldinho and other stars, the video features over 100 dancers, musicians and sportsmen. Budapest sites also appear in the video, including the K-bridge, the entrance to Hungary’s Sziget Festival, Nagyvásártelep, a housing estate in Óbuda, and Pest’s Madách Square, as well as some familiar faces, such as four-time world champion football freestyler Kitti Szász and Hungarian YouTuber Gergő Szirmai.

Although there are multiple songs associated with the World Cup, the official anthem is usually the most high-profile and is performed at the finale of the World Cup, which will be watched by an estimated 2 billion people. Live it Up has already reached more than 14 million views on YouTube since its release on 8 June. Past anthems include Shakira’s “Waka Waka” and Ricky Martin’s “The Cup of Life.” Fans at the World Cup Final on 15 July can also look forward to being treated to a live rendition of the song.

Will Smith is currently shooting his next movie, Gemini Man, in Budapest. He arrived with his family to the Hungarian capital and will spend one month in Budapest, along with Oscar winner director Ang Lee.